Malawi octogenarian commits suicide over elongated illness

A man identified as Sululu Lajabu, 86 of Nachenda Village in the area of Traditional Authority Mponda in Mangochi, committed suicide on Wednesday upon giving up with life to a chronic illness, police have said.

Mangochi Police Public Relations Officer, Inspector Rodrick Maida said the deceased was discovered dead in his bedroom hanging to the roof of the house.

Maida said that the deceased is suspected to have committed suicide because he had suffered from heart attack (coronary thrombosis) for a long time and had given up with life.

“From what we have gathered, the deceased was suffering from recurrent heart attack, a condition which affected his mental capabilities such that he could leave his home for days on end without returning.

“Upon returning from wherever he went, he could be telling his relations that he was smelling something fishy and that he could see some knives in his dreams right in his house,” Maida explained.

To this effect, Maida said the deceased left his home on Tuesday of January 22 this year for an unknown destination only to be discovered dead in the morning of the following day hanging while tied to a rope in one of the bedrooms of his house.

The police publicist added that postmortem conducted at Mangochi District Hospital established that death of the deceased was due to strangulation.

Lajabu hailed from Malunga Village in the area of Traditional Authority Mponda in the district.